Nifca-Dox
The Nifca-Dox (ニフカドックス) is a Japanese strut folding camera taking 6.5×9cm film plates or pack film. It was made in 1930 by Nichi-Doku (the later Minolta). Name "Nifca" comes from Nichi-Doku Foto Camera. See Francesch, p. 17, and the Nifcalette page of the Konica Minolta website. Nichi in Nichi-Doku means Japan, and it is certainly not coincidental that "Nifca" can also be read as Nippon Foto Camera. Many sources say that "Dox" refers to the giant flying boat Dornier Do X (see for example this Wikipedia page) which first flew in 1929 and made a transatlantic flight, leaving Friedrichshafen in November 1930 and reaching New York in August 1931. Baird, p. 40; Francesch, p. 19; Lewis, p. 45; Scheibel, p. 11; Sugiyama, item 1182. Description The Nifca-Dox has a metal body. There is no folding bed but a rectangular front plate supported by straight struts in the four corners. This construction is similar to the Goerz Pocket Tenax. The bellows is of the classical type, with multiple creases (unlike the Tenax). The front part of the Newton finder is attached to the front plate and swivels. The rear part is a simple eyepiece attached to the back. The name NIFCA-DOX is marked on the bottom right of the front plate. The serial number Nr xxxx is written on the bottom left and there is a logo on the top left. The logo, reading N PH D in a circle. The shutter is a Koilos, mounted in a black octogonal housing protruding from the front plate. The 25, 50, 100, B, T speeds are set by a dial inscribed KOILOS. The shutter is everset and the release lever is attached to the front of the octogon. There is a distant release connector protruding to the left. The lens is a front-cell focusing Nifca Anastigmat 105mm f/6.8. McKeown, p. 672, also mentions an f/6.3 lens but this is unconfirmed. The aperture is set by a wheel protruding from the bottom right edge of the octogon and the selected f-number is read in a small window on the right of the lens. Actual examples Only two surviving examples have been observed so far. One has Nr 6650 and belongs to the Minolta company and the other has Nr 6671. 6650 pictured in Francesch, p. 70 and Sugiyama, item 1182. 6671 pictured in Baird, p. 40, Lewis, p. 45, McKeown, p. 672, Scheibel, p. 10, this page of the Manual Minolta website and this Chinese webpage. Sugiyama says that 6671 belongs to the Minolta Gallery. The available pictures are all taken from the same angle and the two cameras look exactly identical. Bibliography * Baird, John R. The Japanese Camera. Yakima, WA: Historical Camera Publications, 1990. ISBN 1-879561-02-6. P. 40. * * P. 45. * P. 672. * Pp. 10–1. * Items 1182. * Tanimura Yoshihiko (谷村吉彦). "Semi Minolta I-gata to II-gata." (セミミノルタⅠ型とⅡ型, "Semi Minolta I and II") In Camera Collectors' News no. 116 (February 1987). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Links In English: * Minolta folding cameras in the Manual Minolta website In French: * Nifca-Dox post in Sylvain Halgand's forum In Chinese: * Nifca-Dox in a Chinese webpage Category: Japanese 6.5x9 folding Category: 6.5x9 strut folding Category: Minolta Category: N